What is to come
by Winged Lady Colette
Summary: What's to come is the death of an official, murderer on the run, and monsters in charge. Itachi is going to have to figure out how to make it out of this alive. Yaoi


**Author's Note: Yes, I know, I know. This is the last new story for a while, I promise! I've just been thinking about this one for a while and had to finally get it out. From now on I'll be focusing on the ones I am already writing - I hope. Forgive me! I would love to hear what you all think! Enjoy!**

 **Warnings: Underage drinking, OOCness, unbeta'd.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 **Word Count: 3,405**

 _"He must be located. Find him immediately. Finding his is priority number one. He's the only one who knows the truth."_

The soft sound of his alarm clock going off is enough to wake him. Unlike his little brother, who could sleep through a tornado ripping through their home, he could not. The smallest sounds in the room, the smallest shifts in the air, it always woke up. At night, when he was just a little boy, he would awaken whenever his little brother snuck into the room to crawl into bed with him. He didn't mind and often pretended to be asleep so that his arrogant little brother wouldn't wake him up just to leave when he was caught. And he would pretend to still be asleep when his brother would sneak out of the room hours later so that he wasn't caught.

He knew. Maybe his little brother, as he grew older knew as well, but he knew that his baby brother didn't like to admit that he still needed his brother and that was okay.

A long, pale, but daintily muscled arm reaches over to the bedside table and turns the quiet alarm off. He doesn't move to get out of bed though. He just rolls onto his back and stares up at the ceiling above him. He listens to the soft sounds of the air conditioning unit pumping cool air throughout their large home.

If he strains his hearing hard enough, he can just make out the sound of his mother running on her treadmill on the other side of the house. It a low hum accompanied by a rhythmic thumping.

He liked the quite atmosphere of the mornings. Even though his parents are already up, his rowdy little brother isn't, so the house is still quite. His little brother's loud friends haven't barged into the house unannounced yet to eat all of the food in their kitchen, take up all the space on the couches in the living room, ad bring so much noise and life into this otherwise quite and mundane home of theirs.

He doesn't really like his brother's friends too much, but he does like the atmosphere that they bring with them. His little brother could have a lot worse people to call friends that want to do illegal stuff; drink, party, do drugs, vandalize or otherwise be a collective menace to society, but instead they would rather stay at home - or a friend's house - play video games or board games, watch movies and stay up late into the night talking about one thing or another. Occasionally, someone, one of Sasuke's older friends, would bring over a case or two of beer after getting express permission from Sasuke's and his parents, so long as they are home - or he is - to be able to watch over them and that all of their car keys are taken away.

That was the thing about his parents, they just wanted their boys to be responsible. If they were put into a position that they simply didn't know how to get out of, they were trusted to call their parents for help.

He could recall, waking up in the middle of the night to his father opening his door and peaking his head inside.

"Itachi?" His father called out softly, stepping into his room. "Are you awake?"

"Yes," Itachi responded, sitting up slowly from his bed. He rubbed his eyes roughly. "What's wrong?"

"Do you know where Kabuto Yakushi's house is?" His father asked, walking into the room and sitting down on his bed, as Itachi leaned over and turned on the lamp on his nightstand. His eyes flickered to the cloak next to it. It was almost two thirty in the morning.

"Yes," Itachi said slowly, looking back over at his father, who was in loose sweats and white t-shirt, frowning deeply back at him with his phone in his hand. "What's wrong?"

"I need you to come with me to go pick up your little brother," Fugaku said, sounding greatly displeased.

"Apparently there was a party there tonight and Sasuke's wasted and can't drive home. He said he can't find his keys anywhere, which I'm not surprised about seeing as Sakura and Naruto went with him," Fugaku said, letting out a little sigh.

Naruto and Sakura were Sasuke's best friends. They made it a rule whenever they went to parties to exchange keys so that they wouldn't be able to drive home. It was... effective, to a degree, but when they couldn't find each other in their drunken stupors, they have a hard time sobering up enough to make their ways home. It sort of surprised Itachi that the three of them were drinking considering that Naruto wasn't a drinker and was usually the designated driver, but then again, whenever he did, Naruto always had _someone_ there to look out for him and by extension, his best friends.

"Naruto's there?" Itachi asked, his real question cloaked in the one he asked.

Fugaku nodded. "Yep, I got a call from Minato a few hours ago looking for him, but I thought Sasuke was home so I didn't even think to ask. Apparently Naruto and Kushina got into an argument and Naruto must have snuck out at some point during the night without anyone knowing."

"He's a crafty one," Itachi said softly, under his breath. Fugaku shook his head, letting out another little sigh.

"That he is."

Itachi pushed the covers off of his legs and walks over to a pair of sneakers, slipping them on without worrying about socks and grabbed his keys off of his desk, making sure Sasuke's spare is on there before nodding over at his dad. "Okay, let's go."

They get into Fugaku's car and head to Kabuto's house - one of Sasuke's delinquent friends that Itachi couldn't stand - while Itachi was giving directions to his father, he was also giving Minato a call.

"Itachi," Minato said as soon as he answered the phone, on the second ring. "You know where Naruto is, right?"

"Yes," Itachi responded smoothly. "I'm on my way to pick him up now. He's at a friend of Sasuke's house with Sasuke and Sakura. They have been drinking so we are going to get them. Do you want us to drop him off?" A slight pause, then, "It's fine if he stays with us for the night." He casted a sidelong look his father's way to see him nod in agreement.

"He'll throw a fit if you bring him home," Minato sighed. "I'm sorry to inconvenience you."

"It's alright," Itachi said. "Here, do you wish to speak with my father?"

"Yes, Itachi, please."

He handed the phone to his father, making gestures with his hands while his father quietly talks on the phone with long time friend, assuring him that Naruto - and Sakura - were welcome to stay at their house until morning and that it wasn't a problem.

"I hate when he does this," Minato said, his soft voice only being able to be heard because the car was otherwise silent. "He knows better than this."

"He's a teenager," Fugaku grunted. "He and Sasuke aren't up to any more trouble than you and I were at their age. I'm just thankful none of them tried to drive home. At the very least Sasuke had enough sense to give me a call. I'm pissed off that they were out drinking while under age and on a school night, but I'd rather go out and get the three dumbasses from a house party rather than from jail, or the morgue."

"Yes," Minato said faintly. "I'll send someone over there to shut the party down. They'll pick up Sakura and Naruto's cars and bring them back here. I really do appreciate it, Fugaku. I'm sorry you have to do this, especially since you have work in the morning."

"My work, while important, isn't as much as yours," Fugaku said sternly. "I'm sure you've been up this whole time. Go to bed. I'll drop you a text once all three of them are back at my house safe and sound."

"Thank you," Minato said, his voice low, disappointed.

"Come now," Fugaku said, taking a right and heading into Kabuto's neighborhood, "you've done a lot for my family too. You've taken in my delinquent child more than I've done yours. It's fine."

Minato let out a little laugh. "Sasuke's not bad. At least he calls when something is wrong. Naruto either tries to handle it on his own, therefore making the matters worse, or ignores it altogether with the same result."

Fugaku let out a tired laugh, shaking his head. "When I was a boy my dad beat me so that my little siblings would fall in line. Sasuke didn't get that. Itachi was always a good boy. Mikoto and I weren't ready for this hellion." Despite his words, Fugaku's tiny smile was fond.

"Perhaps that is also the curse of an only child," Minato murmured.

"Come now," Fugaku tutted. "With Kushina as a mother, this rebellious act shouldn't come as a surprise. And shouldn't all be blamed on being the only child."

That drew another laugh from Minato, a very tired one, though. "Yes, I suppose you are right."

"I'll let you go now," Fugaku said, voice straight laced again.

"Thank you again, Fugaku. And thank Itachi for me as well."

"Will do," Fugaku said before handing the phone back to Itachi to hang up. They made it to Kabuto's house, Itachi, capable of blending better in the crowd than his father, went in and found his brother and his brother's two friends. Sasuke followed him easily enough and Sakura clung to his arm, giggling about something that only she knew about, for once it was Naruto who was the pain to get out of the party. He was ranting and raving, slurring his words as he tried to preach about something Itachi couldn't really make out.

Itachi managed to grab him by the shoulders and guide him out of the party. Fugaku helped Itachi get them into his car before he made his way down the street to find Sasuke's car and drove it back home. Sasuke slept with Itachi that night, curled into a ball against the wall, while Sakura slept in Sasuke's bed and Naruto slept in their guest room.

The next morning Minato showed up before school and knelt down by Naruto's head and ran his fingers through his shorter blond hair. It drew Naruto into awareness and even though Itachi is certain the young father was still upset about his only child's actions, he accepted Naruto into his arms when the younger boy - only fifteen at the time - reached out for him. Itachi didn't stay long enough to hear all that Naruto said, but he did hear the boy apologize and hug his father close. A half hour later Minato and Naruto were leaving the house with Sakura, who Minato insisted on making sure they got home safely.

Fugaku and Mikoto were upset with Sasuke and made him go to school that day, despite his hang over, but ever since, Sasuke would call them whenever he was in a predicament that he didn't know how to get out of.

Itachi blinks out of his memory. He thinks about that time a lot. That was the first time that Sasuke ever went drinking. Mikoto and Fugaku expressed their vehement dislike for Sasuke's other friends, and basically said that he was to either find new friends or he was going to regret it. Seeming to have learned his lesson, Sasuke dropped Kabuto and that crowd and stuck with Naruto and Sakura until he made more - better - friends.

Itachi definitely liked them better.

What made Itachi think about this again? Oh, right, the quiet of the house. It's usually in these quiet moments that he is remembered of the louder times.

Itachi pushes himself up slowly, pushing the covers away. He changes into shorts and a simple t-shirt and shoes before going on his morning run. Unlike his mother, who is content with running in their exorcising room, Itachi had to feel the fresh air blowing over his face and body, cooling his skin. He had feel the sun beating down on him, smell the early morning dew. The quietness of the morning.

Itachi liked those moments the most.

Like every morning since he was fifteen years old, Itachi went for his morning run around the neighborhood. His neighborhood is in a richer part of the city with long driveways and large homes and lawns. A nice, gated community that was rather large with many hills to break a sweat over.

Once he made it back to his home, he showers, wakes Sasuke up - since his blaring alarm clock wasn't doing it's job - for school before going to work.

Officially, Itachi works for his father at their large family corporation. He would dress up in nice khakis and button up shirt and head into work, but once he got into the parking garage, he would go to a gate that very few had access to that lead down into darkness. His ID, retinal scan and a passcode only he knows, gives him access to the other side of the gate. He drives downward into darkness for about five minutes, before he reaches a guard post right in front of a wall.

"Name?" the guard asks, giving him a narrow eyed stare. He's a man that Itachi has spoken to every day since he was eighteen years old. But procedure is procedure.

"Itachi Uchiha," he answers calmly, sticking his head out the window so that the man can get a good look at him. Another guard is walking around the car, checking the tires and underneath it, and then flashing his flashlight into the car to ensure it's just him.

"Your real name?" the man asks.

"Black Cat," he murmurs.

The man nods slowly. "What's the time?"

Itachi looks down at his watch. It's almost nine o'clock. "High noon, friend. I think today is going to be a hot one."

The guard nods, glancing over the car to see the other guard nod before he steps back. "Good day, operative."

Itachi tips his head very slowly. "Thank you."

He reaches into the booth and types a few things and murmurs into his walkie before there is a low rumbling noise before the wall opens up and Itachi drives through with a little wave of his hand in farewell to the guards. There is a series of tunnels that eventually opens up to another parking garage where he finally parks and gets out. He reaches into the back seat and grabs his badge and heads for the building, swiping his ID, getting his finger print and retina scanned, punching in a pass code before looking up at the camera pointed right at his face, waiting for the pad to beep in front of him before putting in another code.

Finally the lock on the door clicks free and Itachi reaches forward and opens the door, pausing to give another nod toward the camera before the last security measure is disabled and he's fully allowed into the building. Itachi immediately walks through the intricate, elaborate halls until he makes it to a locker room. There isn't anyone else in there. Rows and rows of dozens of lockers, in this room alone. There is four conjoined rooms, also filled with lockers, and a large shower.

Itachi goes over to his locker, not marked with a number or any sort of sign to distinguish it from any of the others. Itachi punches in a code and the locker opens. Inside, like in all lockers, is wipes. Itachi quickly strips down to his boxers before pulling on the black, poofy pants. He pulls on the tight sleeveless shirt, tucking the bottom into his pants. The material, while thin, is tougher than it looks. A special weave that helps moderate temperature - keeping his body cool in the heat and warm in the cool - that's also designed that if he got a wound on his torso, the weave also helps with stopping the bleeding.

He pulls on the on long gloves. They were made of the same weave as his shirt. They didn't have any fingers to them, but a single look that wrapped around his middle fingers, to keep it in place that goes all the way up to the middle of his upper arms. From there he pulls on shin and arm guards, a stark white color, along with a bulletproof vest to match. He makes sure all the proper clips are in place as more operatives work their way into the room and start changing. They speak in low, soft tones as if speaking too loud would get them into trouble.

Itachi pulls on his sandals, his heavy mask, that he has to wrap the heavy band that holds it up through a second of his hair so it can't easily be removed before tying his hair into a low ponytail and settling the mask into place. He pulls on the last gloves, these meant to cover his fingers now with a plate of metal on the back of them and straps his ninjato onto his back. He quickly wipes down his locker of his finger prints on the outside before carefully placing everything inside and closing the door. He throws the wipe into the disposal bin before leaving the room.

He walks down the hall in quick methodical steps, not stopping to admire the artwork on the walls or all of the other doors that lead to different parts of the facility, but he ignores them. They don't matter to him. He walks through the pure white hall, sandals clacking against the marble-like flooring. He turns a few corners until he gets to a door and knocks once, waiting until a woman with wild gray hair and thick glasses peaks out. She squints up at Itachi.

"What?"

"You were repairing my cloak, ma'am. I've come to see if you have finished. Have I come at a bad time?" He asks softly, tilting his head a bit.

Her dark eyes light up a bit. "Black Cat!" She says happily. She claps her hands together before slamming the door in his face. He can hear the sounds of clothes ruffling around in the room. After the sound of something heavy falling and hitting the ground, Itachi almost went in there, but when he heard a muffled, "Oh shoot!" he knew that everything was okay.

A moment later, the woman steps out, holding up Itachi's bright snow white cloak for him to take. "You are such a sweet boy, I knew as soon as I got it I was going to fix up first thing, see here?" She waves the cloak around a bit. "Done in a jiffy!"

Itachi nods, taking the cloak from her and easily sliding it over his shoulders, clasping it in place onto his armor before pulling up the hood and bowing low to her.

"Thank you again, ma'am. I appreciate it."

"Any time, darling," the seamstress glows. She reaches forward and smooth the cloak out, lovingly. She was a crotchety woman more times than not, but he took to showing everyone with respected and ended up on her good side. Any time he needed his uniform fixed, she always made his top priority because she liked him so much. What goes around comes around, he supposes.

Once Itachi leaves there he goes down another series of hallways before reaching another door with a security station out front. He steps onto the scanner as the voice from the station orders, "Name and rank."

"Black Cat, ANBU Tenth Captain."


End file.
